Channel tuning redirect

ABSTRACT

Various arrangements for television channel tuning are presented. Receiving equipment may receive an indication of a first television channel for tuning. The receiving equipment may determine the first television channel is not available. A second television channel that carries the same content as the first television channel may be identified. The second television channel may be available for tuning. The receiving equipment may tune to the second television channel.

CROSS REFERENCE

This non-provisional applications claims priority to co-pendingprovisional application No. 61/600,403, filed Feb. 17, 2012, entitled“Channel Tuning Redirect.” The provisional application is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Occasionally, whether due to equipment failure (e.g., a satellitemalfunction), weather, atmospheric conditions, or some other occurrence,a first television channel may not be able to be accessed by televisionchannel receiving equipment (e.g., receiving equipment, set top box(STB), or satellite tuner). However, in many cases, an available secondchannel may be presenting the same content as the unavailable firstchannel. For example, the second channel may be a standard-definitiontelevision channel presenting the same content as the high-definitionfirst television channel. If a subscriber is not accustomed to tuning tothe second channel, the subscriber may assume that the content of thefirst television channel is not currently available. This may result inupset subscribers contacting a television service provider. In suchinstances, the solution until the first television channel is fixed maybe informing the subscribers of how to tune to the second televisionchannel.

Such an arrangement may be inconvenient for the subscribers (they mayneed to call the television service provider) and/or the televisionservice provider (it may need to field a large number of calls if theoutage of the first television channel is widespread). Such apotentially inefficient arrangement may result in excessive costs to thetelevision service provider and/or frustration of the television serviceprovider's subscribers.

SUMMARY

Various arrangements for television channel tuning are presented. Insome embodiments, a method for television channel tuning is presented.The method may include receiving, by receiving equipment, an indicationof a first television channel for tuning. The method may includedetermining, by the receiving equipment, the first television channel isnot available. The method may include identifying, by the receivingequipment, a second television channel that carries the same content asthe first television channel. The second television channel may beavailable for tuning. The method may include tuning, by the receivingequipment, to the second television channel.

Embodiments of such a method may include one or more of the following:Identifying the second television channel that carries the same contentas the first television channel may include: performing, by thereceiving equipment, a lookup in a locally-stored database of the firsttelevision channel, determining, by the receiving equipment, a variablelinked with the first television channel; and identifying, by thereceiving equipment, the second television channel using the variable,wherein the second television channel is linked with the variable. Themethod may include updating, by the receiving equipment, thelocally-stored database using data receiving via a satellitetransmission. The method may include receiving, by the receivingequipment, from a computer system, via the Internet, an indication ofone or more television channels currently unavailable via satellite.Receiving the indication may not occur via a satellite dishcommunicatively coupled with the receiving equipment. Tuning, by thereceiving equipment, to the second television channel may occur withoutrequiring input from a user. The first television channel and the secondtelevision channel may be in different display formats. The firsttelevision channel may be a high-definition television channel. Thesecond television channel may be a standard-definition televisionchannel. The first television channel may be transmitted from adifferent location than the second television channel. The firsttelevision channel may be transmitted from a first transponder of atelevision satellite and the second television channel may betransmitted from a second transponder of the television satellite.Determining the first television channel is not available for tuning mayinclude determining that a sufficient signal cannot be received from atelevision satellite. The method may include outputting, by thereceiving equipment, an indicator to be presented via a television thatindicates the second television channel is being presented in place ofthe first television channel. The method may include, following tuningto the second television channel, monitoring, by the receivingequipment, the first television channel to determine if the firsttelevision channel has become available.

In some embodiments, a system is presented. A system for televisionchannel tuning may be presented. The system may include a satellite dishconfigured to receive television signals from a plurality oftransponders of a plurality of satellites. The system may includereceiving equipment, communicatively coupled with the satellite dish.The receiving equipment may include a processor; and a memorycommunicatively coupled with and readable by the processor and havingstored therein processor-readable instructions. The processor-readableinstructions which, when executed by the processor, may cause theprocessor to receive an indication of a first television channel fortuning. The processor-readable instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, may cause the processor to determine the first televisionchannel is not available. The processor-readable instructions which,when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to identify asecond television channel that carries the same content as the firsttelevision channel. The second television channel may be available fortuning. The processor-readable instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, may cause the processor to tune to the second televisionchannel.

Such a system may include one or more of the following: The receivingequipment may include a digital video recorder (DVR) and the indicationof the first channel for tuning is received from the digital videorecorder. The memory of the receiving equipment may store a databasecomprising information about each television channel available using thereceiving equipment. The processor-readable instructions, when executedby the processor, further cause the processor to perform a lookup in alocally-stored database of the first television channel. Theprocessor-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor,may cause the processor to determine a variable linked with the firsttelevision channel. The processor-readable instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, may cause the processor to identify thesecond television channel using the variable, wherein the secondtelevision channel is linked with the variable. The first televisionchannel and the second television channel may be in different displayformats. The first television channel may be a high-definitiontelevision channel. The second television channel may be astandard-definition television channel. The first television channel maybe transmitted from a different television satellite than the secondtelevision channel. The first television channel may be transmitted froma first transponder of a television satellite and the second televisionchannel may be transmitted from a second transponder of the televisionsatellite.

In some embodiments, a computer program product residing on anon-transitory processor-readable medium for television channel tuningmay be presented. The computer program product may includeprocessor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor toreceive an indication of a first television channel for tuning. Thecomputer program product may include processor-readable instructionsconfigured to cause the processor to determine the first televisionchannel is not available. The computer program product may includeprocessor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor toperform a lookup in a locally-stored database of the first televisionchannel. The locally-stored database may indicate a satellite and atransponder for a plurality of channels. The computer program productmay include processor-readable instructions configured to cause theprocessor to determine a variable linked with the first televisionchannel. The computer program product may include processor-readableinstructions configured to cause the processor to determine the secondtelevision channel using the variable. The seco nd television channelmay be linked with the variable. The second television channel may beavailable for tuning. The computer program product may includeprocessor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor totune to the second television channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of variousembodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television systemwherein weather is interfering with reception of one or more televisionchannels.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television system havingan alternate communication channel wherein weather is interfering withreception of one or more television channels.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a televisionchannel receiving equipment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of an Electronic Programming Guide(EPG) displayed by a television, wherein unavailable television channelsare denoted.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of an EPG displayed by atelevision, wherein unavailable television channels are denoted.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a method for television channeltuning.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a method for television channeltuning.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When a first television channel is unavailable, whether due to equipmentfailure (e.g., a satellite malfunction), weather, signal loss (e.g., dueto atmospheric conditions), or some other occurrence, rather than asubscriber either calling the television service provider or having tomanually identify a second television channel that is available andpresenting the same content as the unavailable first channel, receivingequipment may be configured to redirect to a second television channelpresenting the same content as the first television channel. Forexample, if a high-definition first television channel is unavailable,the receiving equipment device may tune to a second television channelthat is transmitting the same content in standard definition. As such,if the user attempts to tune to the first television channel (e.g., byinputting the first television channel's number), the receivingequipment device may determine that the first television channel isunavailable and may tune to the second television channel without anyfurther input being required from the user.

For receiving equipment to select a second television channel to tune toin place of an unavailable first television channel, a locally-storeddatabase, possibly in the form of a table, may be accessed. Such adatabase may be referred to as a service information database (SID) andmay contain information about each television channel available via thereceiving equipment. Within the SID may be a data field or variable(e.g., a flag) that indicates whether two (or more) television channelsare considered to carry the same content. While each television channelmay be associated with a different frequency, channel number, satellite,and/or transponder, a variable may be present within the SID thatindicates the two television channels are considered equivalent forcontent. Data to populate the SID may be received as part of a networkinformation table (NIT) that is transmitted periodically to thereceiving equipment.

As an example, a high-definition television channel and astandard-definition version of the same television channel may beconsidered to have the same content. As such, if the high-definitionchannel is not available, the receiving equipment may use to thelocally-stored SID to identify the standard-definition channel thatcarries the same content. This may still be possible if thestandard-definition version of the channel is not displayed in an EPG tousers of the receiving equipment. (For example, standard-definitiontelevision channels may not be displayed within an EPG when anequivalent high-definition channel is available to simplify display ofthe EPG to users.)

An electronic programming guide (EPG), which displays a schedule ofprograms appearing on multiple television channels, may be updated toreflect television channels that are unavailable. For example, if asignal for a particular television channel cannot be adequatelyreceived, the channel may be indicated as unavailable in the EPG orremoved from display within the EPG to users. If a user attempts to tuneto a channel indicated in the EPG as unavailable, a second televisionchannel that is presenting the same (or similar) content may be tuned toinstead. Based on the transponder and/or satellite on which the firstchannel is located, it may be assumed that other channels that use thesame transponder and/or satellite are unavailable. As such, if aparticular television channel is unavailable, it may be assumed thatother channels that use the same or similar frequency, satellite, and/ortransponder of the same satellite are also unavailable; the EPG may beupdated as such.

In some embodiments, a second communication channel, besides a satellitelink, between receiving equipment and a television service provider maybe present. For example, the receiving equipment may be able tocommunicate with the television service provider using an Internetconnection, such as via a household wireless network. Such acommunication channel may allow unavailable television channels to bereported to the television service provider and/or information aboutunavailable television channels to be obtained by the receivingequipment from the television service provider. As such, the EPG of thereceiving equipment may be updated to reflect currently unavailabletelevision channels using information from the television serviceprovider. Such a communication channel may also allow the televisionservice provider to learn of a geographic region having difficultyreceiving one or more television channels.

It should be understood that while the embodiments detailed hereindisclose the reception and decoding of television channels, channelsreceived and decoded by receiving equipment may contain data related tocontent other than television programming.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television system 100.Satellite television system 100 may include: uplink station 110,satellite uplink 120, satellites 130, satellite dish 140, set-top box150, and television 160. Alternate embodiments of satellite televisionsystem 100 may include fewer or greater numbers of components. Whileonly one satellite dish 140, set-top box 150, and television 160(collectively referred to as “user equipment”) are illustrated, itshould be understood that multiple (tens, thousands, millions) instancesof user equipment may receive television signals from satellites 130.

Uplink station 110 and satellite uplink 120 may be operated by atelevision service provider. Uplink station 110 may receive feeds of oneor more television channels from various sources. Such televisionchannels may include multiple television channels that contain the samecontent (but may be in different formats, such as high-definition andstandard-definition). To distribute such television channels to users,feeds of the television channels may be relayed to user equipment viaone or more satellites. Satellite uplink 120 may be used to transmit afeed of one or more television channels from uplink station 110 to oneor more satellites 130. While a single uplink station 110 and a singlesatellite uplink 120 are illustrated as part of satellite televisionsystem 100, it should be understood that multiple uplink stations and/ormultiple satellite uplinks may be present, possibly scatteredgeographically. Such multiple uplink stations and/or multiple satelliteuplinks may communicate with the same or with different satellites.Different television channels may be transmitted to satellites 130 fromdifferent uplink stations and/or satellite uplinks.

Satellites 130 may be configured to receive signals, such as feeds oftelevision channels, from one or more satellite uplinks such assatellite uplink 120. Satellites 130 may relay received signals fromsatellite uplink 120 (and/or other satellite uplinks) to multipleinstances of user equipment, possibly being operated by subscribers tothe television service provider. Satellites 130 may be geosynchronousorbit. Each satellite 130 may be in a different orbit, such that thesignal path between each satellite, uplink stations, and user equipmentvary. Multiple satellites 130 may be used to relay television channelsfrom uplink station 110 to satellite dish 140. Different televisionchannels may be carried using different satellites. Different televisionchannels may also be carried using different transponders of the samesatellite; thus, such television channels may be transmitted atdifferent frequencies.

As an example, a high-definition television channel may be carried bysatellite 130-1. A standard-definition television channel that carriesthe same content as the high-definition television channel may becarried using a different satellite or a different transponder on thesame satellite operating at a different frequency. If a televisionchannel is transmitted from a different location than another televisionchannel, the television channels may be transmitted from differenttransponders of the same satellite or from different transponders.

Satellite dish 140 may be a piece of user equipment that is used toreceive signals from one or more satellites, such as satellites 130.Satellite dish 140 may be provided to a user for use on a subscriptionbasis to receive television channels provided by the television serviceprovider operating uplink station 110, satellite uplink 120, and/orsatellites 130. Satellite dish 140 may be configured to receive signalsfrom multiple satellites and/or multiple transponders of the samesatellite. Satellite dish 140 may be configured to receive televisionchannels on multiple frequencies.

In communication with satellite dish 140, may be one or more sets ofreceiving equipment. Receiving equipment may be configured to decodesignals received from satellites 130 via satellite dish 140 for displayon a display device, such as television 160. Receiving equipment may beincorporated as part of a television or may be part of a separatedevice, commonly referred to as a set-top box (STB). Receiving equipmentmay include a satellite tuner configured to receive television channelsvia a satellite. In FIG. 1, receiving equipment is present in the formof set-top box 150. As such, set-top box 150 may decode signals receivedvia satellite dish 140 and provide an output to television 160. FIG. 4provides additional detail of receiving equipment.

Television 160 may be used to present video and/or audio decoded byset-top box 150. Set-top box 150 may also output a display of one ormore interfaces to television 160, such as an electronic programmingguide (EPG). In some embodiments, a display device other than atelevision may be used.

Uplink signal 170-1 represents a signal between satellite uplink 120 andsatellite 130-1. Uplink signal 170-2 represents a signal betweensatellite uplink 120 and satellite 130-3. Each of uplink signals 170 maycontain streams of one or more different television channels. Forexample, uplink signal 170-1 may contain a high-definition instance of atelevision channel, while uplink signal 170-2 contains astandard-definition television channel containing the same content asthe high-definition instance of the television channel. As illustratedin FIG. 1, the signal path between satellite uplink 120 and satellite130-1 is different than the signal path between satellite uplink 120 andsatellite 130-3. As such, it may be possible that one of the uplinksignals may be received by its satellite, but not the other. As such, anuplink to one satellite may be functional while an uplink to anothersatellite may be nonfunctional. For example, weather may block thesignal path of uplink signal 170-1, but may not block the signal path ofuplink signal 170-2.

Downlink signal 180-1 represents a signal between satellite 130-1 andsatellite dish 140. Downlink signal 180-2 represents a signal pathbetween satellite 130-3 and satellite dish 140. Each of downlink signals180 may contain one or more different television channels. For example,downlink signal 180-1 may contain a high-definition television channel,while downlink signal 180-2 contains a standard-definition televisionchannel providing the same content as the high-definition televisionchannel. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the signal path between satellite130-1 and satellite dish 140 of downlink signal 180 is different thanthe signal path between satellite 130-3 and satellite dish 140 ofdownlink signal 180-2. As such, it may be possible that only one of thedownlink signals may be adequately received by satellite dish 140. Assuch, a downlink from one satellite may be functional while a downlinkfrom another satellite may be nonfunctional.

FIG. 1 illustrates downlink signal 180-1 and downlink signal 180-2 beingreceived by satellite dish 140. For some television channels, satellitedish 140 may receive downlink signal 180-1; for other channels, downlinksignal 180-2 may be received. STB 150 may decode the received downlinksignal. As such, depending on which television channel is desired, adownlink signal from a different satellite (or a different transponderof the same satellite) may be accessed and transmitted to STB 150.Satellite 130-2 may be another satellite that receives a televisionchannel stream from satellite uplink 120 and relays it to userequipment, such as satellite dish 140. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,satellite 130-2 is not illustrated with either uplink or downlinksignals for simplicity only. Further, while three satellites are presentin satellite television system 100, in other embodiments greater orfewer numbers of satellites may be present.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television system 200wherein weather is interfering with reception of one or more televisionchannels. Satellite television system 200 may represent satellitetelevision system 100 of FIG. 1 with the addition of a rainstorm 210obstructing satellite dish 140 from adequately receiving downlink signal180-1. In FIG. 2, a rainstorm is used as an example of one type ofoccurrence that may prevent one or more television channels from beingreceived successfully by user equipment (satellite dish 140, set-top box150, and/or television 160). Other occurrences that may prevent one ormore television channels from being successfully received by userequipment may include: a satellite outage, an outage of one or moreparticular transponders of a satellite, an outage at uplink station 110,an outage at satellite uplink 120, an uplink signal not being receivedby the proper satellite of satellites 130, and the television channelnot being initially received by uplink station 110.

Due to the current location of rainstorm 210, satellite dish 140 isobstructed from successfully receiving downlink signal 180-1; satellitedish 140 is successfully receiving downlink signal 180-2. As such,television channels transmitted via satellite 130-1 via downlink signal180-1 may not be successfully received; television channels transmittedvia satellite 130-3 via downlink signal 180-2 may be successfullyreceived. Therefore, to a user viewing television 160, one or morechannels from satellite 130-1 (or specific transponders of satellite130-1) may be unavailable; channels from other satellites (or othertransponders of satellite 130-1) may remain available. As rainstorm 210moves, downlink signal 180-1 may again become available; anotherdownlink signal, such as downlink signal 180-2, may become unavailable.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television system havingan alternate communication channel wherein weather is interfering withreception of one or more television channels. Satellite televisionsystem 300, similar to satellite television system 200, may representsatellite television system 100 of FIG. 1 with the addition of arainstorm 210 obstructing satellite dish 140 from adequately receivingdownlink signal 180-1. Satellite television system 300 may also includea television provider server system 310.

Television provider server system 310 may be configured to communicatewith set-top box 150 via network 320. Network 320 may represent one ormore networks, such as the Internet and/or some other network, such as ahome WiFi network. Television provider server system 310 may also beconfigured to communicate with other components of a television serviceprovider system, such as uplink station 110. As such, it may be possiblefor television provider server system 310 to receive information fromand/or provide information to set-top box 150 and other components ofthe television service provider system, such as uplink station 110.

If set-top box 150 is unable to successfully receive a televisionchannel, a message may be transmitted to television provider serversystem 310. Television provider server system 310 may receive suchindications from multiple set-top boxes (or, more generally, receivingequipment). Such data may assist a television service provider inidentifying television channel outage areas due to weather or some otheroccurrence. Such data may be used by television provider server system310 to warn other users, compile statistics, and/or credit users'accounts. For example, user equipment that is known to be in theoncoming path of rainstorm 210 may receive a message that warns of apossible impending service outage. If a more widespread problem occurs,such as a satellite outage, television provider server system 310 mayreceive messages from receiving equipment indicating channels that areunavailable from a wide-ranging geographic area.

Rather than reception problems by satellite dish 140, if a problemoccurs at uplink station 110, satellite uplink 120, or one of satellites130, television provider server system 310 may be notified by acomponent of the television service provider's network, such as uplinkstation 110. Such information may be provided by television providerserver system 310 to multiple sets of receiving equipment, such asset-top box 150. Such information may be provided to set-top box 150 asa push (a message sent to set-top box 150 following the problem beingdetected) or a pull (a message sent to set-top box 150 upon receiving arequest from set-top box 150). For example, in the case of a pull, auser may attempt to tune to an unavailable channel. Information, ifavailable, about the unavailable channel may be attempted to beretrieved by set-top box 150 from television provider server system 310.If available, a message may be presented to the user that indicates thesource of the problem; for example, a message may be presented viatelevision 160 that says “Channel 027-1 currently unavailable due to asatellite uplink outage; the problem is expected to be resolved within15 minutes.”

While satellite dish 140 provides a first communication channel with atelevision service provider by receiving television channels andpossibly other data from satellites 130, a second communication channelbetween set-top box 150 and television provider server system 310 allowsfor data to be transmitted by set-top box 150 to the television serviceprovider and/or data to be transmitted to set-top box 150 (even whencommunication via one or more of satellites 130 is not possible).

While FIGS. 1-3 focus on the outage of television channels in asatellite television arrangement, similar outages that affect onlyparticular channels may be experienced in other forms of networks, suchas a cable television network. Solutions similar to those detailed inthe following description and figures may also be used for televisionprovider networks other than satellite television service providernetworks.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of receivingequipment 400. Receiving equipment 400 may be a set-top box, such asset-top box 150 of FIGS. 1-3, or may be part of a television, such astelevision 160 of FIGS. 1-3. Receiving equipment 400 may include:processor 410, tuner 420, network interface 430, storage medium 440,electronic programming guide (EPG) 450, television interface 460,(service information database) SID 470, digital video recorder (DVR)480, and/or user interface 490. In other embodiments of receivingequipment 400, fewer or greater numbers of components may be present.

Processor 410 may be a general-purpose processor configured to performprocesses such as decoding a video signal from a particular format, suchas MPEG, for output and display on a television. Tuner 420 may includeone or more tuners used to tune to television channels, such astelevision channels transmitted via satellite to receiving equipment400. For instance, one receiving equipment may be used to tune to achannel for display using a television, while another tuner may be usedto tune to a television channel for recording and viewing at some othertime. Further, a second tuner may be used to check various televisionchannels to determine if they are available or not. For example, if auser tunes to a first television channel that is not available,receiving equipment 400 may tune to a second television channel that isproviding the same content. While the first tuner is tuned to thissecond television channel, the second tuner may be used to at leastperiodically check the first television channel for availability.

Network interface 430 may be used to communicate via the secondcommunication channel illustrated in FIG. 3. As such, network interface430 may be configured to communicate via one or more networks, such asthe Internet, to communicate with a television provider server system.Information may be transmitted and/or received via network interface430.

Storage medium 440 may represent a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium. Storage medium 440 may include memory and/or a harddrive. Storage medium 440 may be used to store information received fromone or more satellites and/or information received via network interface430. Storage medium 440 may store information related to EPG 450 and/orSID 470.

EPG 450 may store information related to television channels and thetiming of programs appearing on such television channels. Informationused to populate EPG 450 may be received via network interface 430and/or via satellites, such as satellites 130 of FIGS. 1-3. Forinstance, satellites 130 may periodically provide updates to the EPGs ofsets of receiving equipment.

Television interface 460 may serve to output a signal to a television ina proper format for display of video and playback of audio.

The service information database (SID) 470 may store information used bythe receiving equipment 400 to access various television channels.Information used to populate SID 470 may be received via satelliteand/or may be received via network interface 430 from the televisionservice provider. As such, information present in SID 470 may beperiodically updated. SID 470 may be locally-stored by receivingequipment 400 using storage medium 440. Information that may be presentin SID 470 may include: television channel numbers, a satelliteidentifier, a frequency identifier, a transponder identifier, and/orvariables indicating other television channels carrying the samecontent. Table 1 provides a simplified example of SID 470 for severaltelevision channels. It should be understood that in other embodiments,many more television channels may be represented in SID 470.

TABLE 1 Frequency Content Channel No. Satellite Transponder (GHz)Identifier 13 1 2 4.5 121 27 2 11 4.8 333 857 3 3 4.3 121 955 3 4 5.4333

It should be understood that the values provided in Table 1 are forexample purposes only. Actual values, including how satellites andtransponders are identified, may vary. The frequencies used may alsovary.

Two television channels carrying the same content may be separatelyidentified within SID 470. For example, television channel numbers 13and 857 may be high-definition and standard-definition, respectively.These two channels may carry the same content, but are transmitted indifferent formats (high- and standard-definition). While to thereceiving equipment these television channels may use differentsatellites, transponders, and/or frequencies, to a user these channelsrepresent the same television channel in different formats. A variable,referred to herein as a content identifier, may be present within theSID that identifies channels that present the same content. For example,television channel number 857 and television channel number 13 have thesame content identifier. Based on having the same content identifier,receiving equipment 400 may be able to determine that these two channelshave the same content. As such, if tuning occurs to one of these twochannels, such as 857, and the television channel is unsuccessful, basedon the content identifier the other channel, such as 13, may beattempted, possibly without additional user input.

If a television channel does not correspond to another televisionchannel carrying the same content, another channel having the samecontent identifier may be present. Also, it may be possible for morethan two television channels to have the same content identifier.

Digital Video Recorder (DVR) 480 may permit a television channel to berecorded. DVR 480 may be configured by a user to record particulartelevision programs. Whether a user directly tunes to a televisionchannel or DVR 480 tunes to a first television channel, SID 470 may beused to determine a second television channel for tuning (and/orrecording to DVR 480) that carries the same content if the firsttelevision channel is not available.

User interface 490 may include a remote control that allows a user tointeract with receiving equipment 400. User interface 490 may be used toselect a television channel for viewing, view EPG 450, and/or programDVR 480.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment 500 of an Electronic Programming Guide(EPG) 510 displayed by a television, wherein unavailable channels aredenoted. The television of embodiment 500 may represent television 160of FIGS. 1-3. EPG 510 may represent an embodiment of EPG 450 ofreceiving equipment 400. EPG 510 may be updated to reflect televisionchannels that are currently unavailable, whether due to satelliteoutage, weather, some other cause of signal loss, uplink issues, etc.EPG 510 may be updated based on locally-gathered information by thereceiving equipment providing EPG 510 and/or by information obtainedfrom a remote server, such as television provider server system 310 ofFIG. 3.

If the receiving equipment attempts to tune to a television channel andthe television channel is unavailable, EPG 510 may be updated toindicate that the television channel is unavailable. If a particulartelevision channel is determined to be unavailable, other televisionchannels that use the same satellite and/or transponder may be assumedto also be unavailable and may be indicated as such on EPG 510.

Information used to update EPG 510 may also be obtained from thetelevision service provider via satellite or an alternate communicationpath, such as television provider server system 310 of FIG. 3. If thetelevision channel is determined to be unavailable by receivingequipment, television provider server system 310 may be contacted.Information may be retrieved about the status of the unavailabletelevision channel and/or other television channels that may also beunavailable. Using such information, EPG 510 may be updated. Referringto EPG 510, various television channels are indicated as unavailable dueto weather (or some other type of technical issue). That the televisionchannels are unavailable due to weather may be based on informationretrieved from television provider server system 310 and/or informationdetermined by the receiving equipment. For example, if informationreceived from television provider server system 310 does not indicate anoutage of a television channel but the receiving equipment is unable toreceive the television channel, it may be assumed that weather is thecause. Another possibility could be an equipment issue at the receivingend, such as a bad low noise block (LNB) which could be detected by thereceiving equipment and a different message could be displayed. In someembodiments, television provider server system 310 may provide anindication that weather may be causing issues in the area of thereceiving equipment. (For example, based on weather radar and/orinformation received from other sets of receiving equipment, thetelevision provider server system 310 may be aware of substantialweather occurring in the vicinity of signal path between the receivingequipment and one or more satellites.)

Periodically, the unavailable channels listed on EPG 510 may be checkedusing a tuner of the receiving equipment to determine if the unavailablechannels have become available. In some embodiments, information may beobtained from television provider server system 310 to determine whenthe television channels are likely available. Once the televisionchannels have become available, EPG 510 may be updated.

In the case of weather, FIG. 5 illustrates channels as being unavailableby placing clouds over the listing of the channel and indicating thatweather is the cause. It should be understood this is for examplepurposes only; other display techniques may be used to indicate to auser the cause of a television channel outage.

If the user attempts to tune to a first television channel that iscurrently unavailable, using a locally-stored SID having contentidentifiers, a second television channel carrying the same content asthe first television channel selected by the user may be tuned to. Anindication may be provided on the television screen that indicates analternate television channel is being used due to unavailability of thefirst television channel. For example, an indication may be presented onthe television that reads: “The high-definition format version of yourselected television channel is not currently available. You have beenredirected to the standard-definition version of this televisionchannel.”

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment 600 of an EPG 610 displayed by atelevision, wherein unavailable channels are denoted. The television ofembodiment 600 may represent television 160 of FIGS. 1-3. EPG 610 mayrepresent an embodiment of EPG 450 of receiving equipment 400. EPG 610may be updated to reflect television channels that are currentlyunavailable, whether due to satellite outage, weather, some other causeof signal loss, uplink issues, etc. EPG 610 may be updated based onlocally-gathered information by the receiving equipment providing EPG610 and/or by information obtained from a remote server, such astelevision provider server system 310.

If the receiving equipment attempts to tune to a television channel thatis unavailable, EPG 610 may be updated to indicate that the televisionchannel is unavailable. If a particular television channel is determinedto be unavailable, other television channels that use the samesatellite, transponder, and/or frequency may be assumed to also beunavailable and may be indicated as such on EPG 510.

In some embodiments of EPGs, if a television channel is available inhigh definition, a standard-definition television channel carrying thesame content may be hidden from display on the EPG to users. Since auser will almost always prefer a high-definition channel over astandard-definition format of the same television channel, listing thestandard-definition version of the television channel may clutter theEPG and serve little use to a user (when under normal operation). Assuch, standard-definition television channels may not be listed by anEPG if a high-definition version of a television channel (that carriesthe same content) is available. This may present a problem if ahigh-definition channel is unavailable, but the standard-definitionversion of the channel remains available. It may not be readily evidentto a user how to tune to the standard-definition version of thetelevision channel because it is not displayed as part of the EPG.

On EPG 610, when a high-definition channel is available that carries thesame content as a standard definition television channel, thestandard-definition channel is hidden. However, if a user attempts totune to a television channel that is not currently available, atelevision channel carrying the same content, such as astandard-definition version of the channel, may be tuned to instead. Asdepicted in EPG 610, a high-definition channel that is currentlyunavailable may be grayed out. Additionally or alternatively, anindication may be presented that indicates a standard-definition versionof the television channel is available.

The preceding examples have focused on the instance where ahigh-definition channel is not available but a standard-definitionversion of the channel is available; it should be understood this is forexample purposes only. For example, the reverse situation may also betrue: a user may attempt to tune into a standard-definition version ofthe channel; if not available, the high-definition version of thechannel may be tuned to instead.

Referring to EPG 610, if unavailable channel 008-HD is selected by auser (or by a DVR programmed to record) an SID may be accessed toidentify a television channel that carries the same content. Inembodiment 600, information may be exchanged by the receiving equipmentproviding EPG 610 with a television provider server system regardingwhich television channels are currently unavailable, similarly to asdetailed in relation to embodiment 500 of FIG. 5.

While embodiment 500 uses clouds to illustrate unavailable televisionchannels, and embodiment 600 grays out unavailable television channels,it should be understood that these embodiments are for example purposesonly. In other embodiments, an unavailable television channel may beremoved from the EPG for display to a user. In still other embodiments,other visual and/or audio indications may be used to identifyunavailable television channels.

The systems of FIGS. 1-3, the receiving equipment of FIG. 4, and theEPGs of FIGS. 5 and 6 may be used in performing various methods. FIG. 7illustrates an embodiment of a method 700 for television channel tuning.Method 700 may be performed using the systems of FIGS. 1-3, thereceiving equipment of FIG. 4, and/or the EPGs of FIGS. 5 and 6. Method700 allows for an alternative television channel to be selected that iscarrying the same content as an unavailable television channel that wasselected for tuning, whether by a user or a DVR. Each step of method 700may be performed by receiving equipment, such as receiving equipmentincorporated as part of a television or a set-top box. Means forperforming each step of method 700 include receiving equipment and/orthe various components of receiving equipment, such as those detailed inrelation to FIG. 4.

At step 710, an indication to tune to a first television channel may bereceived. The indication to tune to the first television channel may bereceived from a user (e.g., via a remote control) or from a DVR (e.g.,for a scheduled recording event). Such a DVR may have been previouslyprogrammed by a user to record a particular television channel for aparticular time period.

At step 720, the first television channel may be determined to beunavailable. This may occur if the first television channel is attemptedto be tuned to but a sufficient signal is not received. At step 730, alookup may be performed using a locally-stored database of the firstchannel that is unavailable. Such a lookup may be performed in an SID,such as that described in relation to FIG. 4. Based on the lookup in thelocally-stored database of the first channel, a second televisionchannel may be identified that carries the same content as the firsttelevision channel at step 740. For example, the second channel may be astandard-definition version of the first channel, which may behigh-definition. As such, the content (e.g., the television program)being presented by each channel may be the same but in different displayand/or audio formats. This second television channel may be transmittedfrom a different satellite or a different transponder of the samesatellite.

At step 750, the second television channel may be tuned to. Beyond theselection of the first television channel, no additional user input maybe required to tune to the second television channel in place of thefirst television channel. That is, the user selects the first televisionchannel for tuning, but the receiving equipment tunes to the secondtelevision channel without further input from the user. As such, theuser may be viewing (or the DVR may be recording) the second televisionchannel in place of the first. This second television channel may betuned to using a different satellite, a different transponder of thesame satellite, and/or a different frequency than the first televisionchannel. Whether or not the second television channel is displayed in anEPG presented to the user may not affect the ability of the receivingequipment to tune to this second television channel. Rather, as long asthe second television channel is indicated in the SID, it may be tunedto.

In some embodiments, at steps 730 and 740 it may be determined thatrather than tuning to a different transponder or different satellite forthe second television channel, the second television channel isavailable via a packet-based network connection, such with the Internet.As such, rather than receiving the second television channel via asatellite link, the second television channel may be requested andreceived via an IP connection. In such embodiments, at step 750 thesecond television channel may be decoded from the received packets andpresented without a signal being decoded from a satellite.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a method for television channeltuning. Method 800 may be performed using the systems of FIGS. 1-3, thereceiving equipment of FIG. 4, and/or the EPGs of FIGS. 5 and 6. Method800 allows for an alternative television channel to be tuned to that iscarrying the same content as an unavailable television channel that wasselected for tuning, whether directed by a user or indirectly via a DVR.Each step of method 800 may be performed by receiving equipment, such asreceiving equipment incorporated as part of a television or a set-topbox. Means for performing each step of method 800 include receivingequipment and/or the various components of receiving equipment, such asthose detailed in relation to FIG. 4. Method 800 may represent a moredetailed embodiment of method 700.

At step 805, a locally-stored database may be updated. This database maybe periodically updated. The locally-stored database may at leastinclude a service information database (SID), such as SID 470 of FIG. 4.The SID may indicate content identifiers. Content identifiers mayindicate which channels carry the same content. Each channel thatpresents the same content may be linked with the same contentidentifier. In other embodiments, besides using the same variable, someother arrangement may be used to link multiple channels together thatpresent the same content. In the instance of the satellite televisionsystem, updates to an SID may be received by receiving equipment viasatellite.

Updates to an SID may also be received via another communication channelwith a television service provider, such as a network connection with atelevision provider server system via a home WiFi Network and theInternet, as presented in relation to in FIG. 3.

At step 810, an indication to tune to a first television channel may bereceived. The indication to tune to the first television channel may bereceived from a user (e.g., via a remote control) or from a DVR, whatmay be part of the receiving equipment. Such a DVR may have beenpreviously programmed by a user to record a particular televisionchannel during a particular time period.

At step 815, the first television channel may be determined to beunavailable. This may occur for any number of reasons, such as: asatellite outage, weather interfering with signal reception, etc. Ifafter a predetermined period of time a signal is not receivedadequately, it may be determined that the television channel is notavailable. At step 820, a lookup may be performed in a locally-storeddatabase of the first channel that is determined to be unavailable. Sucha lookup may be performed in a locally-stored SID, such as thatdescribed in relation to FIG. 4. The SID may be stored by the receivingequipment. Further, an EPG may be updated to reflect that the firsttelevision channel is unavailable.

At step 825, a variable associated with the first television channel maybe identified. Referring to Table 1, this variable may be called acontent identifier. Multiple television channels that provide the samecontent may have the same content identifier. Using the SID, when thefirst television channel is looked up, an entry may be present providinga content identifier for the first television channel. In otherembodiments, some other form of database entry may be used to indicatemultiple channels that provide the same content.

At step 830, based on the lookup in the locally-stored database of thevariable, possibly referred to as a content identifier, a secondtelevision channel may be identified that provides the same content asthe first channel. This second television channel may be linked with thesame content identifier. For example, the second channel may be astandard-definition version of the first channel, which may behigh-definition. As such, the content (e.g., the television programavailable on the television channel) being presented by each of thesetwo channels may be the same but may be presented in different displayand/or audio formats.

At step 835, the second television channel may be tuned to. Beyond theselection of the first television channel, no (additional) user inputmay be required to tune to the second television channel in place of thefirst television channel. That is, the user selects the first televisionchannel for tuning, but the receiving equipment tunes to the secondtelevision channel without further input from the user. As such, theuser may view (or the DVR may record) the second television channel inplace of the first. This second television channel may be tuned to usinga different satellite, a different transponder of the same satellite,and/or a different frequency than the first television channel. Whetheror not the second television channel is displayed in an EPG presented toa user may not affect the ability of the receiving equipment to tune tothis second television channel. Rather, since the second televisionchannel may be indicated in the SID, it may be tuned to.

At step 840, an indication may be output to the television (via audioand/or video) to provide an indication to the user (that is eithercurrently viewing the television program or viewing at a later time as aprogram recorded using a DVR). The indication may indicate to the userthat a different channel is being used. An explanation of why the secondtelevision channel is being used may also be provided. For example, theindication may state: “Your selected channel is unavailable, thestandard-definition version of your selected channel is being presentedinstead.”

At step 845, the first television channel initially selected by the usermay be periodically checked for availability. This may occur using adifferent tuner of the receiving equipment such that recording and/orviewing of the second television channel is not adversely affected. Ifthe first television channel becomes available (possibly for at least athreshold period of time), the first television channel may be tuned to(possibly without user input). In some embodiments, if the firsttelevision channel becomes available, an option may be presented to theuser that allows the user to specify whether to tune to the firsttelevision channel or remain tuned to the second television channel.

At step 850, communication with a remote server, such as televisionprovider server system 310 of FIG. 3, may occur to send and/or receiveinformation regarding unavailable television channels. Such informationmay be used by receiving equipment to provide a user with status updatemessages and/or update an EPG. Such information sent to the televisionprovider server system may be used by the television service provider togather information about television channel outages. Communication witha television provider server system may occur via a second communicationchannel, such as the Internet, and/or may occur via a satellitecommunication link.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a computer system. A computer systemas illustrated in FIG. 9 may be incorporated as part of thepreviously-described computerized devices, such as receiving equipment(e.g., set-top box 150 of FIGS. 1-3), and/or television provider serversystem 310 of FIG. 3. For example, computer system 900 can representsome of the components of the mobile devices and/or the remote computersystems discussed in this application. FIG. 9 provides a schematicillustration of one embodiment of a computer system 900 that can performthe methods provided by various other embodiments. It should be notedthat FIG. 9 is meant only to provide a generalized illustration ofvarious components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate.FIG. 9, therefore, broadly illustrates how individual system elementsmay be implemented in a relatively separated or relatively moreintegrated manner.

The computer system 900 is shown comprising hardware elements that canbe electrically coupled via a bus 905 (or may otherwise be incommunication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include one ormore processors 910, including without limitation one or moregeneral-purpose processors and/or one or more special-purpose processors(such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerationprocessors, and/or the like); one or more input devices 915, which caninclude without limitation a mouse, a keyboard, and/or the like; and oneor more output devices 920, which can include without limitation adisplay device, a printer, and/or the like.

The computer system 900 may further include (and/or be in communicationwith) one or more non-transitory storage devices 925, which cancomprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage,and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, anoptical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a randomaccess memory (“RAM”), and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can beprogrammable, flash-updateable, and/or the like. Such storage devicesmay be configured to implement any appropriate data stores, includingwithout limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/orthe like.

The computer system 900 might also include a communications subsystem930, which can include without limitation a modem, a network card(wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wirelesscommunication device, and/or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth™ device, an802.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, cellular communicationfacilities, etc.), and/or the like. The communications subsystem 930 maypermit data to be exchanged with a network (such as the networkdescribed below, to name one example), other computer systems, and/orany other devices described herein. In many embodiments, the computersystem 900 will further comprise a working memory 935, which can includea RAM or ROM device, as described above.

The computer system 900 also can comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within the working memory 935, including anoperating system 940, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or othercode, such as one or more application programs 945, which may comprisecomputer programs provided by various embodiments, and/or may bedesigned to implement methods, and/or configure systems, provided byother embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one ormore procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed abovemight be implemented as code and/or instructions executable by acomputer (and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then,such code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt ageneral purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or moreoperations in accordance with the described methods.

A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storagedevice(s) 925 described above. In some cases, the storage medium mightbe incorporated within a computer system, such as computer system 900.In other embodiments, the storage medium might be separate from acomputer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as a compact disc),and/or provided in an installation package, such that the storage mediumcan be used to program, configure, and/or adapt a general purposecomputer with the instructions/code stored thereon. These instructionsmight take the form of executable code, which is executable by thecomputer system 900 and/or might take the form of source and/orinstallable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on thecomputer system 900 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally availablecompilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities,etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantialvariations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. Forexample, customized hardware might also be used, and/or particularelements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portablesoftware, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to othercomputing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

As mentioned above, in one aspect, some embodiments may employ acomputer system (such as the computer system 900) to perform methods inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention. According to a setof embodiments, some or all of the procedures of such methods areperformed by the computer system 900 in response to processor 910executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions (which mightbe incorporated into the operating system 940 and/or other code, such asan application program 945) contained in the working memory 935. Suchinstructions may be read into the working memory 935 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as one or more of the storage device(s)925. Merely by way of example, execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in the working memory 935 might cause theprocessor(s) 910 to perform one or more procedures of the methodsdescribed herein.

The terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium,” asused herein, refer to any medium that participates in providing datathat causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In an embodimentimplemented using the computer system 900, various computer-readablemedia might be involved in providing instructions/code to processor(s)910 for execution and/or might be used to store and/or carry suchinstructions/code. In many implementations, a computer-readable mediumis a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take theform of a non-volatile media or volatile media. Non-volatile mediainclude, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as the storagedevice(s) 925. Volatile media include, without limitation, dynamicmemory, such as the working memory 935.

Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other opticalmedium, punchcards, papertape, any other physical medium with patternsof holes, a RAM, a PROM, EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip orcartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can readinstructions and/or code.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor(s) 910for execution. Merely by way of example, the instructions may initiallybe carried on a magnetic disk and/or optical disc of a remote computer.A remote computer might load the instructions into its dynamic memoryand send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium to bereceived and/or executed by the computer system 900.

The communications subsystem 930 (and/or components thereof) generallywill receive signals, and the bus 905 then might carry the signals(and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the signals) to theworking memory 935, from which the processor(s) 910 retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by the workingmemory 935 may optionally be stored on a non-transitory storage device925 either before or after execution by the processor(s) 910.

The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Variousconfigurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, in alternative configurations,the methods may be performed in an order different from that described,and/or various stages may be added, omitted, and/or combined. Also,features described with respect to certain configurations may becombined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elementsof the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and donot limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example configurations (including implementations).However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details.For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, andtechniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the configurations. This description provides exampleconfigurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, orconfigurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of theconfigurations will provide those skilled in the art with an enablingdescription for implementing described techniques. Various changes maybe made in the function and arrangement of elements without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

Also, configurations may be described as a process which is depicted asa flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe theoperations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps notincluded in the figure. Furthermore, examples of the methods may beimplemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode,hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the programcode or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium.Processors may perform the described tasks.

Having described several example configurations, various modifications,alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements maybe components of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention.Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after theabove elements are considered. Accordingly, the above description doesnot bind the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for television channel tuning, themethod comprising: receiving, by receiving equipment, an indication of afirst television channel for tuning, wherein the first televisionchannel is associated with a first transponder; determining, by thereceiving equipment, based on an inadequate downlink signal beingreceived for the first television channel, that the first televisionchannel is not available; identifying, using a lookup table stored bythe receiving equipment, a second television channel associated with asecond transponder that is currently carrying the same content as thefirst television channel and is available for tuning, wherein: thelookup table is periodically updated to indicate matching content on aplurality of television channels broadcast to the receiving equipmentvia different transponders; and the lookup table indicates the firsttelevision channel and the second television channel have matchingcontent; tuning, by the receiving equipment, to the second televisionchannel associated with the second transponder; identifying, by thereceiving equipment, a plurality of unavailable television channels dueto the plurality of unavailable television channels also beingassociated with the first transponder; and outputting, by the receivingequipment, an electronic programming guide that indicates the pluralityof unavailable television channels and the first television channel areunavailable, the electronic programming guide further presenting inrelation to each television channel of the plurality of unavailabletelevision channels, an indication of a corresponding availablestandard-definition television channel.
 2. The method for televisionchannel tuning of claim 1, wherein each television channel of theplurality of television channels in the lookup table is assigned acontent identifier that identifies another television channel of adifferent transponder that carries the same video and audio content atthe same time.
 3. The method for television channel tuning of claim 2,further comprising: updating, by the receiving equipment, the lookuptable using data receivable via a satellite transmission.
 4. The methodfor television channel tuning of claim 2, further comprising: receiving,by the receiving equipment, from a computer system, via the Internet, anindication of one or more television channels currently unavailable viasatellite, wherein: receiving the indication does not occur via asatellite dish communicatively coupled with the receiving equipment. 5.The method for television channel tuning of claim 1, wherein tuning, bythe receiving equipment, to the second television channel occurs withoutrequiring input from a user.
 6. The method for television channel tuningof claim 1, wherein the first television channel and the secondtelevision channel are in different display formats.
 7. The method fortelevision channel tuning of claim 6, wherein: the first televisionchannel is a high-definition television channel; and the secondtelevision channel is a standard-definition television channel.
 8. Themethod for television channel tuning of claim 7, wherein the firsttelevision channel is transmitted from a different location than thesecond television channel.
 9. The method for television channel tuningof claim 7, wherein the first television channel is received from thefirst transponder of a television satellite and the second televisionchannel is received-from the second transponder of the televisionsatellite.
 10. The method for television channel tuning of claim 6,wherein determining the first television channel is not available fortuning comprises determining that a sufficient signal cannot be receivedfrom a television satellite.
 11. The method for television channeltuning of claim 1, further comprising: following tuning to the secondtelevision channel, monitoring, by the receiving equipment, the firsttelevision channel to determine if the first television channel hasbecome available.
 12. A system for television channel tuning, the systemcomprising: a communication interface configured to receive televisionsignals from a plurality of transponders of a plurality of satellites; aprocessor; and a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by theprocessor and having stored therein processor-readable instructionswhich, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receivean indication of a first television channel for tuning, wherein thefirst television channel is associated with a first transponder;determine the first television channel is not available; identify, usinga lookup table stored by the memory, a second television channelassociated with a second transponder that is currently carrying the samecontent as the first television channel and is available for tuning,wherein: the lookup table is periodically updated to indicate matchingcontent on a plurality of television channels broadcast to the receivingequipment via different transponders; and the lookup table indicates thefirst television channel and the second television channel have matchingcontent; tune to the second television channel; and identify a pluralityof unavailable television channels due to the plurality of unavailabletelevision channels also being associated with the first transponder;and output an electronic programming guide that indicates the pluralityof unavailable television channels and the first television channel areunavailable.
 13. The system for television channel tuning of claim 12,further comprising a digital video recorder (DVR) and the indication ofthe first channel for tuning is received from the digital videorecorder.
 14. The system for television channel tuning of claim 12,wherein each television channel of the plurality of television channelsin the lookup table is assigned a content identifier that identifies adifferent transponder that carries the same video and audio content at asame time on another television channel.
 15. The system for televisionchannel tuning of claim 14, wherein the first television channel and thesecond television channel are in different display formats.
 16. Thesystem for television channel tuning of claim 15, wherein: the firsttelevision channel is a high-definition television channel; and thesecond television channel is a standard-definition television channel.17. The system for television channel tuning of claim 16, wherein thefirst television channel is transmitted from a different televisionsatellite than the second television channel.
 18. The system fortelevision channel tuning of claim 16, wherein the first televisionchannel is received from the first transponder of a television satelliteand the second television channel is received from the secondtransponder of the television satellite.
 19. A computer program productresiding on a non-transitory processor-readable medium for televisionchannel tuning, the computer program product comprisingprocessor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to:receive an indication of a first television channel for tuning, whereinthe first television channel is associated with a first transponder;determine the first television channel is not available; perform alookup in a locally-stored service information database of the firsttelevision channel, wherein: the locally-stored service informationdatabase is periodically updated to indicate matching content on aplurality of television channels; the locally-stored service informationdatabase indicates a satellite and a transponder for the plurality oftelevision channels; each television channel of the plurality oftelevision channels in the locally-stored service information databaseis assigned a content identifier that identifies a different transponderthat carries the same content at a same time on another televisionchannel; and the service information database is maintained separatefrom an electronic programming guide; determine the content identifierlinked with the first television channel; determine a second televisionchannel linked with the same content identifier as the first televisionchannel wherein the second television channel is associated with asecond transponder; and tune to the second television channel; identifya plurality of unavailable television channels due to the plurality ofunavailable television channels also being associated with the firsttransponder; and outputting, by the receiving equipment, an electronicprogramming guide that indicates the plurality of unavailable televisionchannels and the first television channel are unavailable.